Murray EQ200 Petrol Lawn Mower Review

Assembling the Murray EQ200 is pretty straightforward. I started by putting together the bag and its metal frame, and then moved on to assembling the handles. There’s also a silver hook-like piece that needs to be attached to the machine to hold the recoil start cable. 

Finally, I attached the cables to the handles with the provided rip-ties. It’s worth noting that all of the other lawn mowers that I tested came with plastic clips, rather than rip-ties. This makes the Murray EQ200 feel that little bit cheaper, even though it wasn’t. I wasn’t convinced that the rip-ties would do the job properly – it looked as though they would slide down the handles once the machine started moving. However, they held in place just fine. 

After this, it was time to pour in the oil. The Murray EQ200 doesn’t come with oil, so you’ll have to purchase this separately. You’ll need about half a litre to get things going. I have to admit that, on my first attempt, I ended up with oil everywhere. The chute to pour the oil in is extremely narrow and will quickly overflow as you’re pouring, so go slow! 

All in all, assembly took about 30 minutes. This was a little longer than some of the other mowers that I tested, but not significantly so.

At first glance, the Murray EQ200 looks like a solid and reliable machine. Its steel deck gives it a robust quality, while the grey and black colour combination gives it quite a modern aesthetic. 

What I love most about the design of the Murray EQ200 is its adjustable handle height. Being petite means that I often find lawn mower handles to be quite high, making them uncomfortable when using them for an extended period of time. With the Murray EQ200, there are three handle heights to choose from, and the lowest setting was ideal for me. 

The handles on this machine are also set quite wide apart, allowing the grass collection bag to easily fit in between them. This makes things convenient when you’re reattaching the bag after emptying it, since you can lower it down from above, rather than having to bend right down to slot the bag in from behind the handles. 

The bag itself is made from a strong mesh and holds 60 litres of cut grass. This is a suitable size for small to medium gardens, and could also be used for larger gardens too. 

The overall design of the Murray EQ200 may feel quite simple, but this also means that there aren’t any glaring design flaws. It has been designed in a way that makes it comfortable and easy to use for a wide variety of people, with foldable handles that give you more storage options too. 

With a 125cc Briggs & Stratton engine powered by 4-stroke petrol, the Murray EQ200 is definitely a capable machine. These engines are known for their quality, giving the machine the power to easily tackle a medium sized garden.

If noise is an important factor for you, then it’s worth considering that the Murray EQ200’s engine was louder than most of the other lawn mowers that I tested. However, given that it wasn’t made for large gardens, you probably won’t be using it for hours on end, meaning that the noise shouldn’t be a big issue. 

I first tried to start the machine without priming it, but it wouldn’t kick into action. After I pressed the primer button a couple of times, one pull of the recoil start cable got things going without any issues. 

The first testing lawn was flat, with short grass and clover. As expected, the Murray EQ200 handled this beautifully – it cut evenly and cleanly, packing the grass into the bag well so that it was full each time I emptied it. 

The Murray EQ200 works just as well on damp grass too. There weren’t any noticeable differences when cutting dry and damp grass, which is definitely handy if you’re having wetter-than-average weather! 

Unfortunately, the machine wasn’t quite as pleasant to use on rough and uneven ground. Although it didn’t object to long and thick grass, I found that the wheels kept jamming into small holes, and the machine felt pretty shaky when going over bumps. 

At 22kg, the Murray EQ200 is a relatively lightweight machine. This immediately helps with manoeuvrability, making it easy to swing the machine around corners, or even lift it up and down steps. 

That lightweight quality is important for a hand-propelled lawn mower. Although the wheels carry the machine well, you’ll still need to use some muscle when you’re going uphill, especially when you have a full bag. That said, it feels much lighter than 22kg when you’re going downhill! 

The Murray EQ200 offers a good variety of six cutting heights (28-92mm), with its highest setting leaving your grass around 20mm longer than most other lawn mowers would. This is why the machine was able to handle the longer grass that other mowers have struggled with. 

There are two levers that you need to move to adjust the cutting height – one does the front wheels and the other does the back. Although one lever would obviously be preferred, two is still better than the four levers that need to be adjusted on the Mountfield lawn mower that I tested. 

The machine’s cutting width of 41cm is fairly average for a lawn mower of this power – it’s all you need for a small to medium sized garden. 

Another feature promoted by Murray is this lawn mower’s 2-in-1 capabilities – not only does it collect cut grass, but it also has a rear discharge option.

I did as instructed (I even double-checked the instructions to make sure that I wasn’t missing anything), but was very disappointed by how the rear discharge functioned. It left behind thick clumps of grass, with the output chute clogging up and choking every few seconds.

It’s always useful when a lawn mower comes with a feature that tells you when the grass collector bag is full. This way, you don’t need to waste time checking it or emptying half loads. While the Murray EQ200 doesn’t do that, it’s easy enough to lift the plastic flap that covers the bag to glance inside and see how full the bag is. Most of the other lawn mowers that I tested have been designed in a way that doesn’t allow you to see into the bag at all while it’s clicked into the machine, even when you lift the flap up.

The safety features are pretty standard across lawn mowers designed for residential use, and the Murray EQ200 is on-par with the rest. 

It’s fitted with a dead man lever that needs to be held back in order for the machine to run, meaning that the engine will automatically turn off if you happen to walk away from the machine for any reason. 

There are plenty of safety stickers dotted around the lawn mower that warn you of potential hazards. These are clear and easy to understand, which is always appreciated.

The Murray EQ200 costs a little more than some of the other hand-propelled lawn mowers that I tested. It doesn’t offer more than those models in terms of power, but it does have a few extra features, which helps to justify the higher price point. That said, it’s not a good sign when one of those features (rear discharge) doesn’t work to an acceptable standard – if rear discharge is what you need, then no, this machine doesn’t offer value for money. 

However, if you’re always going to be collecting your cut grass, then the Murray EQ200 does what it says. Its price point is fair – it’s not overpriced for what it offers. 

As an added bonus, the Murray EQ200 comes with a two year limited warranty.

It’s easy to see why the Murray EQ200 has such a wide appeal. For what it costs, it boasts some pretty useful features, and its overall design has been well thought out. It also has a powerful engine that performs well on most types of grass and ground. The main issues that I had with it were using it on uneven ground, as well as its disappointing rear discharge function. However, this won’t matter to everyone – if your garden is relatively flat and you plan on always collecting your grass, then this mower would be a great choice, no matter the size of your garden.